The present invention relates generally to hair-drying and styling appliances. More specifically, the present invention is a hand-held electric hair-drying and styling appliance comprising independently controlled dual in-line drying barrels.
Hand-held electric hair-drying and styling appliances are well known. In such prior art dryers, it is most common to employ a single tubular barrel in which is housed a heating element and through which is directed airflow from a blower, which airflow is heated by the heater and exhausted from the barrel toward the hair for drying or styling thereof.
It has been recognized that there are advantages to diffusing and splitting the heated airflow into two or more individual air streams. U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 425,664 and Des. 380,540, and EPO patent application 0400381-A2, depict such prior art dual in-line hair-dryers. A deficiency of these prior art dryers is that they lack independence between the two heated air streams. Because the air streams are both heated by the same heating element and propelled by the same blower, both air streams must inherently operate the same at any given time.
It is found that the styling effects of the dual air streams are enhanced when one air stream is operated at a cooler temperature than the other. The curling effects realized when the hair is treated by dual air streams having such differing temperatures is found to be unique; curls in straight hair are better created and natural curliness is accentuated. This is possibly the result of having the hair subjected to a hot air stream, then cooler air, and then another hot air stream as the dryer is passed over the hair, or possibly the result of the uneven tempering of the hair when the dryer is held still.
Another disadvantage to prior art dual in-line hair-dryers is that they require a dedicated heater/blower subassembly. Many manufacturers of such appliances also manufacture other single barrel dryers and desire to reduce the inventory of components. The ability to share components between various models can be extremely economical and advantageous. The ability to use a pair of heater/blower subassemblies that are also shared with other single barrel models would provide numerous manufacturing advantages.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved portable electric hair-drying and styling appliance.
It is a further object to provide a dual in-line portable electric hair-drying and styling appliance in which the heat from each barrel is independently controllable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dual in-line portable electric hair-drying and styling appliance that uses a pair of heater/blower subassemblies which are common to another drying appliance so that the inventory of those subassemblies may be economically shared in the manufacturing of this and that other appliance.
It is still a further object to provide a dual in-line portable electric hair-drying and styling appliance having all of the above advantages.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be best appreciated and more fully understood in reference to the herein described preferred embodiment and the appended drawings, of which the following is a brief description.